THOUSANDS of Romanian immigrants in Paris are planning to come to Britain because they have heard they “can get social benefits” here, it emerged yesterday.

Paris Police intervene after a complaint against a girl from the Roma community in the city [ALAMY]

The news comes as one leading academic called for set quotas to be introduced in order to control the UK’s immigration crisis.

Some 15,000 to 20,000 Roma remain in France, with many planning to move to Britain.

Traveller Ilie Balaci, whose home is a makeshift camp on the outskirts of Paris, said yesterday: “We have thought about going to England as we can get social benefits there. And now there is talk about the papers being sorted for Roma as well in January, so we hope to go then.”

Oxford academic Paul Collier said quotas should be used to control immigration.

The professor of economics advocates in his new book, Exodus, a lottery to limit the number of dependants allowed into Britain with each skilled migrant. He says set quotas should be introduced for Romanians and Bulgarians from the new year when they gain the right to live, work and claim benefits here.

Professor Collier, who has worked as an adviser to David Cameron, stressed that while it had become a taboo topic, immigration has to be discussed.

Quota's should be used to control immigration [GETTY]

Some 15,000 to 20,000 Roma remain in France, with many planning to move to Britain

“Migration is the topic surrounded by ‘keep-out’ signs, it’s a taboo topic,” he explained.

He said one of the major problems is the extended families of migrants, who follow them to their destination.

“The most expert team analysing immigration in the world has shown that, left to itself, the diaspora brings in relatives,” he said.

“The dependants of immigrants are not what you want. They don’t come with skills and because they’re dependants they do increase demands on social services.

That has to be limited if we want to avoid competition for jobs and social housing between immigrants and our own poor.”